Doubting Thomases
Friend, there are many among us who are what we call "Doubting Thomases."
What is a "doubting Thomas" to you?
Are you a "doubting Thomas?"
These are questions we all must ask of ourselves.
Firstly we must know who a "doubting Thomas" is.
A person who does not believe Jesus is God, is a "doubting Thomas."
One of the Disciples who followed Jesus in His Ministry for three years was a man named Thomas, a Disciple of Jesus.
He walked miles to townships and villages with his Lord and Teacher, Jesus, lived communally with Him, and saw with his own eyes the miracles Jesus performed; listened to Him speaking about the Kingdom of God, being led in prayer by Him, and saw the Pureness and Love that emanated from Him.
Jesus told the Disciples that their bodies are temples for God to dwell in.
One of the things He told them, was His Temple will be knocked down, and three days later it will rise again.
There came the day when Jesus was arrested and tried and sentenced to death.
Matthew 20:17-19
17And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
He was then expeditiously crucified by the word of the Pharisees and Pilate the Govenor on a Friday and laid to rest before sundown when by rabbinical law no-one should carry out physical work again until dawn.
He was laid to rest in a tomb that had a large heavy stone covering the entrance, and He laid there overnight from Friday evening to Sunday morning.
Jesus had women followers also and two, both named Mary, and another Salome, decided they wanted to prepare his body according to custom with embalming spices.
When they went to the tomb on the sunday morning, the guards were incapacitated by an earthquake and the stone had moved.
An angel of the Lord was sitting on the stone " whose face shone like lightning and clothes of brilliant white" (according to one of the women) and the angel spoke to them.
"Don't be frightened. I know you are looking for Jesus Who was crucified, but He isnt here! For He has come back to life again, just as He said He would. Come see where He was laying. And now go quickly and tell His Disciples that He has Risen from the dead, and that He is going to Galilee and will meet them there."
The women went to where the Disciples always gathered and told the Disciples who were there, what they had experienced.
For one Mary had met Jesus in the garden by the tomb, and He advised her to "touch Me not. For I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go find My brothers (Disciples) and tell them that I ascend to My Father, and your Father, My God and your God."
Mary (Magdalene) found them and gave them this message.
In the Book of John, New Testament, Chapter 20 Verse 19 it is reported by John, That evening the Disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish Leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, He showed them His hands and side.
Verse 24 One of the Disciples Thomas (The Twin) was not there at the time with the others.
Verse 25 When they kept telling him, " We have seen the Lord," he replied " I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands and put my fingers into them, and place my hands into His side."
Verse 26 Eight days later the Disciples were together again; and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them.
Verse 27 and then He said to Thomas "Put your finger into My hands. Put your hand into My side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!"
Verse 28 "My Lord and My God" Thomas said.
Verse 29 Then Jesus told him, " you believe because you have seen Me. But blessed are those who haven't seen Me and believe anyway."
Verse 30 & 31 (Disciple John) Jesus's Disciples saw Him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that He is The Messiah. The Son of God, and that believing in Him you will have Life.
That's the story of The Doubter, Thomas a Disciple who was lacking in faith. Who could not believe that Jesus was alive when he knew Him to be dead since the Crucifixion. All the hearing and learning he received had not settled in his heart and mind. But Jesus saw an innocence in Thomas and since He died for all sins and He saw that Thomas loved Him, Thomas was Forgiven and now had a great testimony.
Faith is believing in a God we cannot see with our eyes but discerning and knowing Him with our spiritual eyes, heart and mind.
If you're a doubter, seek to know Him to prove without a doubt that He is Who He says He Is.